US Brokers Peace Deal Between Azerbaijan And Armenia, Declares Trump

<p>Azerbaijan and Armenia on Friday signed a peace agreement brokered by the United States, marking a decisive step towards ending more than three decades of bitter conflict. The accord, sealed at the White House in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump, promises to strengthen economic ties and pave the way for full normalisation of relations between the long-time rivals.</p>
<p>The deal, if it endures, stands as one of the Trump administration&rsquo;s most significant diplomatic achievements to date. It is also likely to unsettle Moscow, which has long considered the South Caucasus part of its strategic sphere of influence.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long time, 35 years, they fought and now they&rsquo;re friends, and they&rsquo;re going to be friends for a long time,&rdquo; Trump declared during the signing ceremony, flanked by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, reported Reuters.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The animosity between the two nations dates back to the late 1980s, when the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region &mdash; internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but largely populated by ethnic Armenians &mdash; broke away with support from Armenia. The dispute triggered years of bloodshed. In 2023, Azerbaijan regained full control of the territory, prompting nearly all 100,000 ethnic Armenians living there to flee to Armenia.</p>
<p>Under the new agreement, both sides have pledged to cease hostilities, open diplomatic channels, and recognise each other&rsquo;s territorial integrity. Central to the deal is the granting of exclusive U.S. development rights to a key transit corridor through the South Caucasus, which Washington says will boost exports of energy and other resources from the region.</p>
<p>In parallel, the U.S. has signed separate agreements with both countries to expand cooperation in energy, trade, and advanced technologies &mdash; including artificial intelligence. While specific details remain under wraps, Trump confirmed that long-standing restrictions on defence cooperation between Washington and Baku have been lifted, a move that could further irk Russia.</p>
<p>Both Aliyev and Pashinyan praised Trump&rsquo;s role in ending the conflict, with each leader vowing to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.</p>
<p>The agreement adds to a growing list of foreign policy wins Trump has claimed in the early months of his second term. The White House has credited him with mediating a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, securing peace deals between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and brokering a rapprochement between Pakistan and India.</p>
<p>However, some of the world&rsquo;s most entrenched conflicts remain unresolved. The U.S. president has yet to bring an end to Russia&rsquo;s ongoing war in Ukraine or the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. On Friday, Trump announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on 15 August in a bid to negotiate an end to the war.</p>